Growing up approximately a Dan Marino-to-Mark Duper post pattern away from Sun Life Stadium, it was quite natural that Thad Lewis became a Dolphins fan.

"Dan the Man, which we called him, that was his nickname where I was from," Lewis said of the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played his entire career with the Dolphins and was an icon to any aspiring young quarterback in South Florida — or anywhere, really.

But when it came to actually attending games in person, the stadium that opened the same year he was born (1987) might as well have been up in Buffalo, where Lewis is now, at least temporarily, the starting quarterback.

Lewis' father was shot and killed before Lewis even got to know him, so his mother raised him and his brother in Opa-locka, and there wasn't enough discretionary income to spend on a Sunday afternoon at what was then called Joe Robbie Stadium.

"I think I went to one Dolphins game growing up. When you're a kid and your parents can't afford to take you to a Dolphins game, it's on TV every week so you don't miss it," said Lewis who, when he wasn't watching Marino on TV, spent countless hours of his youth imitating him on the fields of Sherbondy Park.

Lewis never played in the palatial home of the Dolphins as a high school quarterback for Hialeah-Miami Lakes, but he did so a couple times for Duke University when the Blue Devils ventured down to take on Atlantic Coast Conference rival Miami.

He was 0-2 in those contests against the Hurricanes, so Sunday when he takes the field near his old neighborhood to lead the Bills against the Dolphins, the team he once rooted for, he'll be in search for his first victory there — and in the NFL.

"It's awesome to be able to come back," said Lewis, who is 0-2 as an NFL starter. "They always say the quarterback position is one that leads, so you just want to show everyone that you belong in this league. It means a lot playing in the NFL, period. It's just extra to get to go home and play in front of people you know and people that know you. It is a great opportunity."

Lewis can recall some of the great games between the Bills and Dolphins, when Marino squared off against Jim Kelly. When Lewis was young, the Buffalo-Miami rivalry was one of the NFL's best, but as both teams have struggled in recent years — the Bills more than the Dolphins — the games have lost some of their appeal.

So wouldn't it be fascinating if Lewis were able to inject some new life into a once-magnificent rivalry by coming back to his hometown and helping the Bills beat Miami?

No one would have dared to dream that was possible a little over a week ago, but after seeing Lewis nearly rally the Bills to victory last Sunday against Cincinnati, there is a sense that this undersized quarterback — who is simply holding down the fort until EJ Manuel returns — can get it done.

"As far as the team, they feel like they can win with Thad Lewis," coach Doug Marrone said. "That's the most important thing. That's what I look for."

Lewis has been with the Bills less than two months, but he worked diligently in practice leading up to getting his shot against Cincinnati, and when the time came, he was ready. He threw for 216 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-tying 40-yard strike to rookie Marquise Goodwin that forced overtime.

"It's not like he just came out of nowhere," said Goodwin, who returned after missing the previous four games with a broken hand. "Thad has been throwing with us, he's been practicing with us even before he got moved up from the practice squad. The timing was there; all it took was for him to get an opportunity to get out there with us."

Now there's another chance, and it comes against an AFC East rival that has shown a tendency to give up some big plays in the passing game.

The Bills, as they always do, will try to establish C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson on the ground, but don't be surprised if Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett let Lewis poke and prod the Miami secondary — especially now that he'll have Stevie Johnson back.

"He's always prepared himself for something like this to happen," Marrone said. "I think that's what you have to do and that's what it means to be a pro. He's done a great job. I think a lot of people were surprised maybe by that performance. I don't think anyone on the team was really surprised about the way he went out there, the way he went about his business."

Lewis knows the Bills are Manuel's team. When the rookie comes back from his knee injury, he's going to be the starter. So for now, Lewis is going to enjoy the moment, and never more will he enjoy it than Sunday when he's running around in South Florida playing the game he loves, just like he did when he was a kid.

"I don't know what the future holds with the Bills; I just know I'm going to give it my best shot while I'm out there," Lewis said.

The Bills (0-1) nearly pulled off the unthinkable in EJ Manuel's debut at quarterback, but in the end, Tom Brady did what he's done so many times before. The Patriots quarterback drove his team 49 yards in 12 plays to set up Stephen Gostowski's game-winning field goal with just a few ticks left on the clock.

On Wall of Fame Day when the Bills (1-1) honored their best, EJ Manuel fit right in. The rookie quarterback led the Bills on a game-winning, 80-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard pass to a wide-open Stevie Johnson with two seconds left.

Key stats

Mario Williams had 4.5 sacks, which broke a franchise record of 4 (Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett).

The Bills only had the ball for 3:34 in the fourth quarter, but outscored the Panthers, 10-9.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera is 2-14 in games decided by 7 points or less.

Geno Smith outdueled EJ Manuel at MetLife Stadium, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another to lead the Jets to victory. Buffalo's defense gave up a woeful 513 yards, including 149 to running back Bilal Powell, and the Bills (1-2) fell back below .500.

Key stats

The Jets were penalized 20 times -- a team record.

In the 104-game history between the Bills and Jets, this was the first game featuring two rookies at QB.

The Bills, who gave up just one sack in their first two games, allowed eight against the Jets.

The Bills' defense shined against the defending Super Bowl champs, picking off Joe Flacco five times and sacking him four. Kiko Alonso's "legend" continued with two picks, including the clincher with less than a minute remaining and the Bills improved to 2-2.

Key stats

This was the first Bills win over a defending champ since 1996 (Cowboys).

The Ravens passed the ball on 31 straight plays between the second and fourth quarters.

After an exhilarating win over the defending champs the week before, the Bills (2-3) allowed 37 points to the Browns, including 20 unanswered, to dip back below .500. EJ Manuel took a vicious blow to his knee and was later ruled out for at least a month.

The Bills (2-4) were down two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter, but Thad Lewis -- starting his second career NFL game -- threw a pair of touchdown passes to force overtime. In the extra session, a 30-yard punt return by Brandon Tate set up the Bengals' winning field goal.

Key stats

Stevie Johnson sat out with a back injury, snapping his streak of 48 straight starts.

Andy Dalton passed for 337 yards -- his first 300-yard game in nearly a year.

Cincy snapped a 6-game losing streak at Orchard Park, dating back to 1985.

The Dolphins were poised to notch a gritty comeback win, but a late sack and forced fumble by Mario Williams -- on a questionable play call by Miami -- set the Bills (3-4) up for a game-winning, 31-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter (an ex-Dolphin).

Key stats

Buffalo snapped an eight-game losing streak in Miami.

Carpenter has made 15 straight FGs -- two shy of the team record (Rian Lindell).

The Bills have scored between 20 and 24 points in all seven games this season.

Drew Brees fired five touchdown passes and amassed 332 yards to lead the Saints to comfortable win in New Orleans, though Buffalo (3-5) did hold a 10-7 lead early. Saints' tight end Jimmy Graham only caught three passes, but two of them were for touchdowns.

Key stats

Mario Williams has recorded a sack in five straight games and now has 11 this season.

Drew Brees has an NFL-record eight games with five or more touchdown passes (Peyton Manning, 7)

Jeff Tuel, the third Bills QB of the season, threw a pick six on the Chief's 1-yard line in the third quarter, which turned a chance for a 17-3 lead into a tie ballgame. A fumble returned for a touchdown soon thereafter doomed the Bills (3-6) and Kansas City improved to an improbable 9-0.

Key Stats

Though not at 100 percent, CJ Spiller had 116 yards on the ground and 39 yards receiving.

KC entered the game as the NFL-leader in points off turnovers -- and they showed why Sunday.

The Bills out-gained the Chiefs in total yardage 470-210 ... and lost.

Sal's Three and OutEJ Manuel returned after a four-game layoff, but was overwhelmed by a Pittsburgh defense smarting from last week's embarrassing loss to the Patriots. The Bills only managed 227 yards on offense -- and 87 of those came on a meaningless touchdown drive in the final minutes.

Key stats

Manuel went 22-for-39 for 155 yards, a TD and an INT in his first game back.

The Bills struggled on third down, converting 3 first downs in 14 chances.

A Chris Gragg touchdown in the final seconds was Buffalo's first in its last three games at Pittsburgh.

Geno Smith starred in the first Bills-Jets meeting this year -- but he looked every bit a rookie in Round 2. Buffalo's intense defense pressured Smith into four turnovers and the Bills dominated the Jets on a windy day at the Ralph.

Key stats

Nick Folk's wind-blown missed field goal in the first quarter was his first miss of the season.

After a hot start in Toronto, the Bills (4-8) froze up during crunch time. Two late fumbles -- by Stevie Johnson in regulation and Scott Chandler in OT -- doomed Buffalo in their annual game north of the border in Toronto. Matt Bryant's 36-yard field goal helped end Atlanta's 5-game losing streak.

Key stats

The Bills dropped to 1-5 in games played in Toronto.

C.J. Spiller's 77-yard run was the longest non-touchdown run in Bills history

Tony Gonzalez extended his consecutive games with a reception streak to 207 -- second all-time behind Jerry Rice (274).

This one was ugly. The Bucs scored on their second play from scrimmage to set the tone in Tampa Bay. EJ Manuel tossed four interceptions and C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for only 34 yards on the ground.

Key stats

Manuel had thrown four INTs all season, before tossing four more before the end of the third quarter.

Byrd's 22nd career INT moves him into 10th on the Bills' all-time list.

Bobby Rainey's TD 18 seconds into the game was the fastest in Bucs history.

This game was tied at 3, 10 and 20 before the Bills' scored the final TD of the game -- an EJ Manuel 1-yard pass to Frank Summers with 9 minutes left. Two big defensive plays, an interception by Stephon Gilmore and a sack by Nickell Robey, in the final minutes helped seal the win.

Key stats

4 Bills have at least 8 sacks this year -- first time that's happened in the NFL since 2006.

Brian Moorman played in his 200th NFL game.

The Bills' 94-yard scoring drive in the 2nd quarter was the longest of the season.

The Bills played the role of spoiler perfectly, handing the Dolphins a tough loss that put a damper on their playoff aspirations. The defense starred, sacking QB Ryan Tannehill seven times to set the team record for sacks in a season (56 and counting).

Key stats

This was the Bills' first shutout win since 2011.

Buffalo's defense allowed only 6 first downs and 103 yards.

The Bills put together a 19-play drive in the fourth quarter, by far its longest of the season.

On a sopping wet Sunday in Foxboro, LeGarrette Blount helped the Patriots (12-4) secure a first-round bye and the Bills (6-10) finished the season how they started, with a loss to New England. The Bills kept things interesting in the second half, but two long kickoff returns and a late 35-yard TD run -- all by Blount -- put the game away.

Key stats

The Bills are now 0-12 at Gillette Stadium since it opened.

Blount totaled 145 return yards and 189 yards on the ground.

This is the Pats' 8th first-round bye in 14 seasons under Bill Belichick.